Rick Perry: ‘I’m Proud to Be a Conservative’

Texas Gov. Rick Perry told a gathering of Republicans in New York City Tuesday night that he’s proud of driving liberals out of the Lone Star State.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry speaks at the Lincoln Dinner, an annual fund-raising event for the New York GOP, Tuesday, in New York. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

“Looking around Texas, there’s a few unhappy people there – generally we refer to them as liberals – which I happen to think is a really good indicator of our success because we don’t have many of them left,” joked Mr. Perry as he delivered the keynote address at the New York Republican County Committee’s annual Lincoln Dinner.

“I’m proud to call myself a conservative,” Mr. Perry said. “Not only am I proud to be a Texan, I’m proud to be a conservative…because conservatives have won the war of ideas.”

In recent weeks, buzz has intensified about the possibility of Mr. Perry entering the race for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination. At Tuesday night’s dinner, Mr. Perry didn’t discuss the possibility of launching a presidential bid, but he had said earlier in the day that he’s giving the idea “appropriate thought.”…